(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to office workstations, and in particular to workstation walls that include raceways for standard UL rated, off-the-shelf, electrical and utility wiring devices, and to workstation walls having releasable, reversible edge caps that can be refurbished or refinished.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Workstations, sometimes referred to as cubicles, are designed to provide a degree of privacy for the individual workers, while still permitting ease of rearrangement to accommodate changing office needs. Generally, workstations are comprised of a plurality of low walls that are joined at their abutting corners to enclose a workspace. For example, a workstation may have a back wall, a pair of parallel sidewalls, and a front wall that includes a doorway or access opening. Frequently, the back wall and/or one or both of the sidewalls also serve as a wall of an adjacent workstation.
A modern workstation is outfitted with various types of electrical and electronic equipment, such as computers, telephones, lighting, and the like, which require various kinds of electrical and data transmission wiring to connect the equipment to outlets. Thus, many prior art workstation walls make provision for conduits or raceways through which the wiring can be channeled from an external connection to the workstation equipment. Generally, these raceways are located in the wall interior, with a covering being placed over the raceways to hide the wiring and make the workstation more attractive.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,209,035 and 5,746,034 to Hodges et al., describe workstation utility panels comprised of a panel frame having a foot portion to support the utility panel on the floor and spaced sides. A horizontal utility trough extends from one side of the panel to the other. A detachable cover panel covers at least one face of the panel frame. The utility trough is shaped with open ends, so that a continuous, uninterrupted horizontal channel exists when two panels are joined in an end to end relationship.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,615 to Luchetti et al. also describes a workstation panel structure formed of an open framework that includes vertical uprights with first and second pairs of horizontal stringers attached to the opposite faces of the vertical uprights, forming horizontal raceway cavities between the uprights which open to opposite sides of the frame. The panel also includes detachable cover panels to enclose the interior of the panel.
Prior art workstation panels are also known to include edge facing components or end caps for decorative purposes and to protect the panels. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,005 to Timmons shows partition panels with parallel grooves on their edges and end caps with U-shaped members that are attached by inserting the legs of the U into the channels. A corner cap also includes U-shaped channel members that are fitted into the grooves at the ends of the panel corner members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,692 to Harper et al. describes attachment of panel walls and end caps using facing parallel grooves and connector plates that extend into the grooves. Clips are used to hold the end caps in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,519 to Jeffers describes attachment of end caps with metal clips that press against the inner sidewalls of an end cap.
Until the present invention, however, there has been no easily assembled workstation constructed primarily of wood components, and including wall sections providing separate isolated raceways for data and electrical components. Moreover, there has been no suggestion of a workstation walls with readily detachable edge and end caps that have the appearance of permanently attached wooden strips.